Turtle!
by Dragon with a Shotgun
Summary: Raphael has to babysit a toddler for a night... and he is not too happy about it. But how does he handle the situation when the girl is scared senseless and needs someone to rescue her?


**TMNT**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**I got into TMNT for some reason lately, so I made up a character… again… Haters gonna hate. XD I actually didn't know which version of the show I wanted to portray this from, but I guessed from the newer 2012 version… Whatever ya'll want to see it as, doesn't matter to me. Hope ya like it anyway.**

**Turtle!**

"Raph, it's your turn to watch Crystal tonight." Leonardo, or Leo, reminded, smiling at his younger brother who wore a red mask. The hot-headed turtle growled and crossed his arms.

"I am NOT watching that kid." he objected harshly, glaring at his older brother with daggers shooting from his eyes.

Leo rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly in a knowing fashion. "Aw, come on, Raph. She's just a little kid. It's not like she's gonna kill you."

The tempered turtle turned his gaze back to Leo, an angered and agitated look in his eyes. The girl they were talking about was a four year-old toddler, with long light blonde hair that curled at the ends and reached her back and bangs that hung over her eyes. Her eyes were light blue, and she was an energetic little child. The turtles had found her some time ago, only a week probably. Actually it had been less than a week, and it was Raphael's first time to watch over her for the night. The turtles were going to go on patrol and get away from the sewers. But the hot-headed brother of the bunch never took a liking to the girl, despite her liking him probably the most out of all of them. April took care of her most of the time, playing with her and trying to keep her happy, but Crystal seemed to find the giant turtles were even more interesting. She could walk and run decently, but she was small enough to crawl into tight spaces and hide from them whenever they had to feed her or put her to bed.

They tried to take her back to her parents, they really tried. But they soon found out that her parents were no more. She was an orphan, and although they thought it wise to take her to the orphanage, they just couldn't find the heart to abandon her when she had so quickly taken a liking to them, and them to her… or at least everybody but Raph. It still bewildered them as to why she liked him the best. She was always close by him, even when he ignored her; she stayed in range of sight. But in all, she wasn't any trouble to the turtles. She was just a young child with a pure heart and an energetic mind.

"I told you. I am not going to take care of the kid." Raph said, forcing every word in the sentence to come out as almost a threat. He didn't look his older brother in the eye, and Leo frowned at him. He was about to say something else until Master Splinter quietly appeared in the doorway.

"Now, now, my son… You know better than to reject her so quickly. She is only a young one, just as you used to be."

Raph huffed, and as he spoke to his adoptive father he lowered his voice. "But I'm not a young one anymore, Sensei…"

Splinter shook his head. "That means you should show responsibility for this child." He motioned to the toddler giggling at Michelangelo, or Mikey, as he made silly faces on the couch, Donatello standing next to him and smiling at the young human.

"But Master Splinter-," Raph tried to protest.

"My son, this is a very important responsibility. Crystal is a young child, defenseless and vulnerable. She needs us in her life, she needs someone to protect her, care for her, to watch over her. Raphael, she is an innocent being that is still learning. It shows loyalty and heart by taking care of her and making sure she is safe and well. A family bonds, and we are her family now. Do you understand, my son?" Splinter's voice was stern to catch his attention, but soft to ensure that he meant well and was not upset.

Raphael was about to object again, but he saw the look in his master's eyes. He couldn't argue with his words or the mixing emotions in his features. He knew that Crystal was only a little kid, but taking care of her was going to be an annoying and exhausting experience. But protecting her would only get in his way of fighting. He would have to go out of his own way to protect her. But most of all, he hated the idea of having to feed her and listen to her babble on about things he didn't even understand, getting into things and crying whenever she hurt herself or wanted something. Not that she cried a lot. The most she'd ever whined was when she hit her head on the table when she fell off the couch. But still, the idea that she would actually start crying already sent his blood bubbling. If there was anything he hated more than losing a fight it was having to listen to a baby scream and cry pathetically.

"Ugh… yes, Sensei…" he mumbled, nodding obediently and falling silent.

"Good. Thank you, Raphael. I will be meditating if you need me. Be careful, my sons, while you are out." Then he turned away and disappeared into the darkness of the doorway, leaving the turtles to themselves in the living room. Raphael sighed, a growl mixing with it noticeably as he turned his gaze to Leo.

"Don't be out too long just because you want me to keep her longer!" he snapped, one hand pointing at Leo in the face and his other clenched into a fist.

The blue-masked turtle held up his hands in defense, not really fazed by his brother's temper. "Relax, we'll only be gone for about two or three hours and be back."

Raph growled and folded his arms. "Just don't take your time."

So the other three brothers left, letting him grumble about his job in silence. He looked at Crystal on the couch. She was looking at his pet turtle, Spike, tilting her head at it curiously with big blue eyes. Why did he have to watch her? It was stupid, him being the toughest of the brothers having to babysit this toddler. Babysitting really wasn't on his list of likes… But he knew that he was in no position to argue, especially since all of the others had taken care of her.

He sighed in defeat and walked over to the couch, wondering what exactly what he was supposed to do with her. Seeing his shadow loom over her, she looked at him for a moment, and then at Spike. She suddenly frowned, looked at him, then at Spike again, and repeated a few times like she was trying to figure out something. This was the first time that she had seen Spike, because the non-mutant turtle must had gotten out of his room. Spike looked at the girl blankly, blinking his eyes slowly every now and then.

The look of confusion on the toddler's face almost made Raph smile in amusement. "Heh… something isn't right, huh kid?"

Crystal looked up at him, and then smiled brightly at him.

"Turtle!" She had been calling each of the turtles 'Turtle' for obvious reasons. But she seemed to know who each of them were, probably because of behavior and mask colors. She was actually kind of cute, with her being so small and her hair in her eyes and her eyes being so big. Her voice was high-pitched, matching her energetic personality and appearance. Instantly remembering that he didn't like her, he shook his head to clear his mind frowned at her coldly. He wasn't going to fall for her 'baby's charm' like the others had. They fell for her cuteness, but he wasn't about to let her charm affect him. He was too hard-shelled for that mushy stuff.

"Alright… guess you've already eaten… But what am I supposed to do with you?"

He stared at her, and she stared at him. She didn't seem the least bit tired, in fact, her eyes shown no signs of fatigue, so he wasn't going to be able to put her to bed at the very moment. They usually put her to bed at around eight, but it was already nine. He groaned, knowing how kids could be sensitive when it came to being put to bed. She would probably just kick and scream and protest. But maybe he could give it a try…

"Alright, kid… Come here…" he reached his hands down to reluctantly pick her up, expecting her to try to run off. But when his hands were at her sides, she looked down at his right one and grabbed his finger with her small hands. He froze, his eyes growing wide slightly as he was not really sure what to do at the moment. She blinked at his very large, three-fingered hand and compared it to hers, running her tiny fingers along the top of his and his palm. She studied every line, as if she was carving the image into her memory.

_What is she doing…? _Raph thought, still unmoving. It was like her touching him made his body quit working, not in ways paralyzing him, but he had he had never made direct contact with her. In a way, you could say, he was almost afraid to move in fear of hurting her. He was in a slight trance, not sure how to move. It was an awkward silence between them.

But he suddenly shook his head and frowned. "Okay… weird… Come on, let's get ya to bed."

She held her arms up and he picked her up, but he held her out away from him as he walked towards Leo's room, where she usually slept. Leo, being the leader and all, had volunteered to let her sleep in his room until they could make room for her later. Being the good turtle he was, he wouldn't allow the small child to sleep on the couch all alone.

He entered his brother's room. Crystal looked at the bed, and then looked at him with bright blue eyes.

"Bed?" she squeaked, tilting her head at him.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, bed… whatever." Seriously, who didn't know what a bed was?

He placed her on the bed stiffly, not really wanting to interact with her. He really didn't want to have anything to do with her at all. Why was he forced to do this job? Oh, of course… he was supposed to be her family, and 'families bond', as Splinter had said. Jeez… he might be a wise rat, but he could still be annoying…

"Play!" she piped, giggling as he tried to put the blanket over her.

Raph gave her an irritated expression. "No, we are not going to play. You are going to sleep."

She furrowed her brows, tilting her head in a questioning fashion and almost pouting. He recognized this look from when she was with the others. She would make this look whenever they said something she didn't quite understand something they said. He sighed again, rolling his eyes and making her sit still.

"You. Sleep. Now." He said each word slowly for her to understand, and although she knew what he said, she wasn't feeling a bit tired. She felt like running, so she shook her head.

"Play!"

"Look, we are not going to play! You are going to stay here and sleep!" he almost shouted, but she didn't seem a bit fazed by his outburst. In fact, she actually giggled at him. He looked at her in confusion. Gosh… he knew that this kid found a lot of things funny, but he at least assumed that she'd be intimidated by his temper. She didn't seem a bit affected by his anger though. But before he could say anything else, she had scrambled out of the bed in a fit of laughter and was running out of the room.

Raphael groaned and stood back up. "Oh no you don't! Get back here!"

He ran out of the room and looked both ways, wondering which way she went. But she had oddly disappeared, and the place had become unusually quiet. It made him uncomfortable, so he started towards the living room. Great… he just lost Crystal. More like she lost him… There weren't that many places for her to hide, so where could she be?

"Alright, kid! Come out!" he called, if not a bit agitation in his voice as he did so. Come on! Where could she have possibly gone?! He looked around the couch. Nope… He looked around the whole living room, and still no sign of her. Surely she just didn't vanish into thin air? Maybe she did… they did just find her days ago, and had taken her in. Maybe she was actually a bad guy that could shape shift, and had disguised himself as a child so that he'd look innocent and be let into the turtles' hideout… and then when he had studied the whole place, he'd leave and tell his army where they were and then they'd attack…

What in the world was he thinking? This was Crystal he was thinking about here. She was a tiny human child, yes, but a destructive evil villain? Not likely… Possible, but not likely. He was just overreacting.

Then again, she could be some alien that crash-landed on Earth, and now that they had taken her in, she would buy her time until they were all asleep and were unsuspecting her of anything, and then she'd eat their brains…!

Okay… He really needed to stop watching those horror movies…

"Crystal? Where are you?" he called again, listening for anything that would clue him to her location. He didn't hear anything, and he crossed his arms. Maybe he should go talk to Master Splinter? No… if he did, then that would mean that he was so careless as to let this kid run off on her own. Splinter would be pretty mad at him for it… Okay, so that was out of the question. Now… Where could that kid be?!

So he kept searching, not really at all that worried about it. She was probably curled up somewhere, ready to jump out and scare him or something. Maybe she had been changing spots… Maybe whenever he left one spot, she'd creep out of one place and crawl into that spot.

_Okay calm down… It's going to be alright… She's a toddler, I'm a ninja… it should be easy to find her… _He kept telling himself this, for about twenty minutes. He had searched the whole place, and now he was beginning to feel panic setting in. His heart was pounding as he ran from one place to another. He was starting to grow frantic, and he was panting from having run around. Now he was standing in the living room again, his eyes wide and his chest rising and falling from having a hard time breathing.

How could she had just disappeared like this? Where did she have to go?! God… how the others were going to be mad… Wait… why was he so worried? Oh yeah… because he was responsible for her… How could he have lost her? She was a living being, not some object that wasn't cared for! Surely a living creature couldn't hide for that long!

"Okay, this isn't funny! Crystal, come out!"

There was silence… until he thought he heard something. He closed his eyes and fell silent, listening for it again. He tuned everything else out, listening only for that little sound he had heard.

"Turtle…" It was a muffled cry, soft and almost a little panicked.

He opened his eyes, and looked toward Mikey's room. He had looked in there, but that's where the sound came from. So he practically ran into the room, slamming the door open and looking around frantically. He saw the bed, but he had looked under the covers and under the bed already. He looked over at the shelves. Comic books littered the floor, but that had already been there before. He heard the sound again.

"Turtle…" This time is almost sounded like a sob.

"Crystal?" he called out, his eyes darting from place to place in the room. But then his eyes fell on the large box that sat in the corner of the room. He knew that that was where Mikey kept some of his comic books, but he hadn't wanted to open it before. Without a second thought, he rushed over to the box and saw that it was locked. He moved the latch and lifted the lid so that he could look inside.

Inside, the tiny toddler lay curled up, shivering and crying, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her face was as red as a cherry, and she choked on air every now and then. The sight somehow made his heart soften, and he sighed in sheer relief. Thank God he found her… Crystal opened her eyes and looked up, and before he had a chance to reach in and get her out, she had jumped out and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Turtle!" she cried, burying her face into the crook of his neck, squeezing her arms around him tightly.

His first reaction would have been to pry her off and yell at her, and he could already feel his anger boiling up. But… seeing how scared she was, hearing her soft little cries… His heart just melted, and his temper was squashed, forgotten. She must have come in here to try to hide from him, so engulfed in the game of Hide and Seek that she had crawled into the box and it became stuck when she was inside. It was a miracle that he found her, or she would have suffocated.

"Aw…" he mumbled to himself, and without thinking about his actions, he put his large hands on her back, holding her close to him against the front of his chest. He listened to her sob, such pitiful noises coming from such a normally happy and sweet kid… Now that he thought about it, there was nothing that he hated about her. Why… Why had he been so cruel about it before? There was nothing wrong with taking care of a kid like this… All of his negative thoughts about babysitting earlier had vanished into memory, replaced by protective and concerned ones.

"Shh… it's okay, young one… You're okay… I'm here, shh…" he said softly, keeping her close to him as he stood up. He let her hug his neck, not even bothering in making her let go of him. He left Mikey's room and started down the hallway toward Leo's room. But when he stopped at the doorway, she parted from him, and he kept his hand sunder her for support. As she looked at him in the eyes, he was almost struck by her expression. Her face was still red, and her tears still streamed down her face. But also her eyes showed some kind of emotion that looked to be a mixture. Hurt? Fear? Hope? He thought for a moment. After her experience of being accidently locked up in a dark and tight space, she probably wasn't going to want to sleep on her own, especially in a large dark room all by herself.

"Well…" he sighed, looking down for a moment, but then he smiled slightly, or as close to a smile you could get with Raphael. "I guess it couldn't hurt for one night…"

She blinked her little blue eyes at him. He chuckled, and she leaned her head against the crook of his neck. He carried her to his room, and when he got there, he sat her on his bed. He looked into her face again, and almost was surprised that she wasn't tired at all. Sure, she didn't want to go running around on her own again, but yet she still didn't look like she wanted to go to sleep just yet.

"Jeez, kid… do you ever get tired?" Raph asked as he sat cross-legged on the bed, not really expecting an answer. She couldn't' even talk properly, so he was used to the fact that he couldn't keep up a conversation with her. He then began to try to come up with a way to make her go to sleep. Crystal had crossed her legs as well, almost as if copying him. Just to do it, he cracked his neck, sighing at the relieving popping. He looked down at her again, but gasped when she did the same. He heard her neck pop slightly, and she sighed loudly, like he had. He blinked at her, wondering what had caused her to do it. But he shrugged. Then he noticed that she shrugged too.

"Hey, will ya stop that?" He watched as she tilted her head, just as he had when he had demanded that she'd quit copying him. He lifted a hand and waved it in the air. She did the same. "God, will ya just stop?!"

She giggled loudly, but kept up with her little act. He was surprised that he wasn't agitated by this at all. In truth, he was actually enjoying it. He was even smiling a little as he did a bunch of different kinds of maneuvers with his hands in quick motions, motions too quick for her to follow and copy. But she sure did try. Her eyes were glued to his actions, a large smile on her face. Now it had become a game of copy-cat, but even though she was good at some of it, she couldn't' match the speed of his hands.

"Ugh…" she huffed, and then without warning she pounced on him, clinging to his neck. He fell backwards on the bed in surprise, and then found himself laughing when she nuzzled her face into his neck.

"Hey, cut it out! That tickles!" he giggled when he felt her hair brush against his neck and cheek. She burst into a fit of giggles when he lifted her up off of him and, while he still lay on his back, threw her up in the air and caught her again. She let out little hearty squeals when he tossed her up, but he always made sure she didn't go up too high. Each time she went up, she laughed and her arms flailed before his hands wrapped around her waist again, making sure he had a good hold on her.

"Wheee!" she'd squeal, and he found himself laughing at her happily, content with the activity. It was a good exercise anyway. He was enjoying this little moment.

Then he changed his tactics and threw her up a little higher than the other times. While she was sin the air, he leaned back further and lifted his legs and caught her with his feet. She cracked up and was squealing in the air as he rested his arms behind his head. He then continued the game they were playing a second ago, this time pushing her up and down with his knees. Every time he bent his knees, she'd try to touch his nose, and then laugh when he pushed upward again.

"Up, and then down! Up, and then down!" he'd chuckle, watching her hand just almost reach his nose before he pushed his legs up again. She'd kick out her legs and wave her arms. He bent his knees again, but this time her hand somehow managed to touch his nose, and he giggled at her when she made a 'beep' sound when she pinched it, not painfully though. He was so suddenly overcome by his playful, childish side that he had forgotten his pride.

"Come 'ere, you!" he roared playfully, dropping her down, earning another squeal, and catching her in his arms and rolling over onto his side. He then proceeded to tickle her belly and sides, making her squirm and let out delighted giggled and screams of laughter.

"Turtle! Hee-hee! Turtle!" She giggled and struggled in his grip, but his large but gentle hands held her in place and she continued to feel his fingers trail up and down her belly. He laughed at her reactions, and then he grabbed one of her ankles and scratched the tip of his finger on the bottom of her sole. She immediately screamed in increased laughter and tried to break loose. She managed to slip out of his grasp and crawl up to his chest. She hugged his neck and nuzzled her neck into his neck again.

"Heh-heh! What do you think you're doin'?" he chuckled, making a grab for her. But then she began to plant little tiny kissed on his neck and cheek, making him giggle and his chest rumble. "Aw, you little baby…" He patted her back with one hand and smiled at her. She smiled back, but then yawned, her mouth opening wide and then closing. Her eyes were half closed, and a tired smile was spread over her small face.

Raphael smiled and too yawned. "Well… I guess it's time to go to sleep, kiddo." As he said it, he saw that she was already asleep, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling as she breathed. He chuckled softly, and sighed knowingly. He lifted her in his hands and gently placed her on the pillow, pulling the blanket over her small body and his own as he lay down beside her. He leaned over onto his side, sliding his arm under the pillow to better support his head. He closed his eyes, sighing in content.

But he felt something press against his chest, so he opened his eyes and looked down. Crystal had scooted closer to him, snuggling up against his chest and smiling in her sleep. He suddenly thought about what happened earlier. He tried to picture himself in a small box like that. The thought of him not being able to see or do anything made him almost frightened, even as he closed his eyes. The poor thing… she didn't deserve to go through that. He smiled despite himself, and shook his head slowly.

"Good night, Crystal…" he muttered, and then he fell asleep.

Later that night, the other three brothers arrived home, as Leo said, about two hours after they had gone. They slugged through the living room, tired and blank-minded.

"Wait… Where are Raph and Crystal?" Donnie asked, suddenly looking around with a serious expression.

Leo and Mikey looked at each other and then around the room. The sewers were unnaturally silent, like something wasn't right. Did something happen? Where were they?

"Do not worry, my sons. Your brother, Raphael, and our young child, Crystal, are asleep. This way." After giving each other curious looks, the three turtles followed their sensei toward Raph's room. He opened the door and they all looked inside, and almost couldn't contain their laughter.

Raph was lying on his side, but Crystal was curled up against him, her thumb in her mouth and a small smile on her face. Even Raph's mouth seemed to be showing signs of a beginning smile. They were both sleeping peacefully, and it was a very adorable sight to look at.

"Aw… that is so cute! Where's a camera when ya need one?" Mikey whispered, making Leo put a finger to his lips and shush him up before they shut the door.

**I might write similar ones in the future, maybe of Crystal as an adult. As a spoiler in case I do, when Crystal grows up, she is more like Raphael's sister, not a lover in the future. Hope ya liked it!**


End file.
